2023 End of The Year Content Explosion
I could write a big rambling introduction about what 2023 was for me, but then I'd have to really think long and hard. I'd rather just get to the point and recap my year with a series of easily digestible lists
Favorite Records of 2023: First Half
Algiers - Shook It may feature a long list of collaborators and cover more stylistic ground than ever before, but the Atlanta band's ambitious 4th album Shook by Algiers Andy Shauf - Norm Another soft rock masterpiece by the contemporary master. Norm by Andy Shauf Billy Woods & Kenny Segal - Maps This is what you get when two of the most exciting artists in underground hip hop combine forces. Maps by billy woods & Kenny Segal Califone - Villagers Califone records are intricately-detailed, rustic portraits of the world via which one can get lost within for days. villagers by Califone Dave Scanlon - Taste Like Labor Although nowhere near as tense and claustrophobic as anything released with his experimental band JOBS, Dave Scanlon's latest solo record is similarly off-kilter and adventurous, resulting in a totally mesmerizing listen. Taste Like Labor by Dave Scanlon Home Is Where - the whaler At a time when so much indie rock sounds bored with itself, the whaler is a welcome reminder of the genre's more lively origins. the whaler by Home Is Where Indigo De Souza - All of This Will End On her latest, the Asheville-based songwriter confidently balances pop hooks with an earnest indie rock style, presenting a brutally honest and relatable self-portrait. All of This Will
Hari Kondabolu
A day after Vacation Baby’s debut on YouTube, I spoke with the comedian — who returns to The Orange Peel on Wednesday, May 17 — about the special and his attempt to interact with fans throughout the premiere.
Maria Bamford
The stand-up that Stephen Colbert once called his “favorite comedian on planet Earth” returns to town on Wednesday, May 10, to perform at The Orange Peel. In anticipation of the show, Maria Bamford spoke with Asheville Stages about connecting with fans and other comedians while on the road, her humorous role as Christian entrepreneur Amy Sleverson on the delightful Bonanas for Bonzanza podcast, and…
Nicholas Furgiuele / Gringo Star
For some people, music is just in their DNA. Brothers Nicholas and Peter Furgiuele of Atlanta-based garage rock quartet Gringo Star have been making music together since they were kids, which is no surprise considering that their grandfather Ed "Dr. Jive" Mendel was an influential disc jockey and music promoter during the early days of rock ‘n roll. Arriving as the garage rock revival of the aughts was still having its moment, Gringo Star released its promising debut, All Y’all, in 2008 to plenty of acclaim. In subsequent years, the hype for the subgenre has died down and many of the group’s contemporaries have called it quits, but the Furgiuele brothers and their bandmates have continued to evolve and improve upon their distinct take on the retro sounds that evoke their grandfather’s heyday. Set for a Friday, June 2, release, the band’s sixth studio album, On And On And Gone, may also be the quartet’s most adventurous. The record opens with the twangy “Stand and Turn Away” before giving way to the eerie psych pop tune “Told Me Once Before.” Later on, the hip-shaking “Get to Know You” combines dreamy vocals and strings with a catchy early rhythm & blues groove. Over the
Soulside
Asheville locals may recognize Bobby Sullivan as the general manager at the French Broad Food Co-Op, but in another time — the mid-late 1980s — he was the energetic frontman for legendary Washington, D.C.-based post-hardcore band Soulside.
John Waters
In what still feels like a surreal fever dream, I recently had the opportunity to procure a brief phone chat with the “Pope of Trash” himself, the legendary John Waters.
Joe Pera
With him coming to town, I requested a brief conversion — and so, Joe Pera talked with me…
Eugene Mirman
In his latest promotional photo, Eugene Mirman is pictured standing in waist-deep water, eyes drifting off into the distance, hands chest level, with his fingers in the process of either buttoning up or unbuttoning his navy blue shirt. “You know, l think I’m buttoning up,” the comedian disclosed during our recent conversation. “I think I'm actually like, ‘Oh, I'm late. I have to finish getting dressed, in the lake, to get to further into the lake where I would meet people.’ That’s the occasion…” For those familiar with Mirman, absurdity is to be expected. Over the past few decades, he’s developed a reputation as one of the funniest people alive. Though most recognizable to many as the voice of Gene on the hit animated series Bob’s Burgers, his impact on the comedy world goes far deeper than his role as the attention-craving chubby middle child of the Belcher family. The 2019 documentary It Started As a Joke, an inspired look at the decade-long run of the Brooklyn-based Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival, offered a well-rounded glimpse into the founder and namesake of the festival. In the film, directorial duo Julie Smith Clem and Ken Druckerman not only captured the endless hilarity, but also the
Chris Gethard
The telephone is a great source of anxiety for me and always has been. So when I was recently provided the opportunity to interview beloved comedian Chris Gethard over the phone, I jumped at the chance to overcome my telephobia. If anyone could provide wisdom in regards to this issue, it’d be the notoriously anxious Gethard.